Forgiven but not forgotten
by With-teeth-of-madness
Summary: Four years after the events of AC, Cloud receives a phone call from Vincent asking him to come to Lucrecia's cave. It's just the start of the chaos that ensues. Then there's Alivia, who's determined to write a book about Cloud... S/C full summary inside.
1. Chapter One

**Epic authors notes – sorry **

Summary: Four years after the events of AC, Cloud receives a phone call from Vincent asking him to come to Lucrecia's cave. The start of the chaos that ensues. Then there's Alivia, who's determined to write a book about Cloud... Cloud will have to face up to his past in order to live his future, but the future is not what Cloud thought it would be.

Firstly – Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story aside from the occasional extra character and Alivia. The rest along with all of the town/city names, materia, Cloud's bike Fenrir and many other features of this story belong to Square Enix. I just own the plot. (Except any events that are recounted from in-game events.)

Ok so this is my first piece of fanfiction for this fandom. I have a fairly good idea of where it's going but still need to work out certain details. I'm hoping it comes out at least slightly well.

I apologise in advance for any seriously ooc people in fic, I'm trying to keep people in character as far as possible because I usually prefer it that way.

One of the main characters is original. Thought I'd warn people 'because I know some people don't like reading about original characters. The original character is meant to resemble someone loosely from the original game, but you'll see that for yourself hopefully if you read on. ;)

The main pairing in this fic is going to be Sephiroth Cloud. Their both men (obviously lol) so if you have issues with homosexual content, sexual content, etc then you probably shouldn't read this. Also there may be some fairly graphic violence so consider yourself warned. I'm not going to put an exact age rating on this (it changes with different countries anyway) it's already rated M but if you know you shouldn't be reading this then don't. I don't care but you should.

It's been a little while since I last completed Final Fantasy VII so please forgive any mistakes of retold in-game events in this fic. I've tried to research most of the things I've written about to double check but I'm sure I've probably missed some things.

Also there will be spoilers in this for Final Fantasy Vii, Advent Children and probably Final Fantasy Vii Dirge of Cerberus (sp?) too. There may also be some minor Crisis Core spoilers too. (Not may though as I've not completed the game yet, not sure how far away I am from completing it either, I'm in Nibelhiem.) I guess you've probably already thought about all this though if you're reading a fanfic right?

I'm using the materia system from Crisis Core instead of the original FFVII game because I prefer the groovy names and such from that game.

I'm not too great with punctuation and grammar so I apologise for anything that doesn't make sense. I type quickly too but I'll try and keep typos to a minimum…

Timeline wise this takes place four years after Advent Children and three years after FFVII DoC.

I think that's everything, sorry I typed so much. There won't be this much writing at the beginning of any other chapters.

Reviews are nice :)

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**Part One**

Cloud fingered the letter in his hands. Turning it over and over, and then over again. It was the fifth letter he'd received in the past two months. From a writer named Alivia.

Over the past five or so years he'd received several requests from authors wishing to publish books on the events that led up to the World Crisis. At first no one really knew what happened but after a while people had started coming up with theories that linked Cloud to the events. They also noticed the disappearance of Sephiroth and begun to wonder if that was connected too. People wanted to know the details and that's where the writers came into it.

It had been two years since he'd last been contacted by a writer or a journalist and then four months ago he'd received his first letter from Alivia. She was more persistent than the others.

Usually they sent a letter or tried to call him and after a couple of weeks when they realised he wouldn't answer their calls, or reply to their letters, they gave up. He'd replied to the first few, politely declining their offers, but he quickly realised it was much easier just to ignore them all together; they often protested when he told them he wasn't interested.

Alivia hadn't given up yet though and this intrigued Cloud. Why was she different from the rest? Why was she so keen? Cloud was almost tempted to reply to one of her letters. She hadn't called him; he suspected that probably had something to do with the fact that few people were able to get a hold of his number.

Maybe if he just wrote back once, to find out why she wanted to write the book she'd mentioned and why she seemed so interested… No he thought firmly. If he replied she'd only think she had more of a chance and would probably send even more letters and then if she got a hold of his number… It was best not to get her hopes up. It was best not to reply - like usual - it was a fail safe method.

Cloud placed her latest letter back on the table which he'd been sitting at whilst he drank his morning cup of coffee. He'd never been interested in coffee when he was younger, he'd always found the taste too bitter, but over the years he'd found his uses for the drink. It helped to give him energy and these days he always felt so lethargic, so he drank it black to gain the most effect. A cup in the morning, then at lunch, at dinner, before bed and sometimes, if he could fit them in, more cups in between these times. It wasn't healthy and it often made him have trouble sleeping but given the nightmares he'd been experiencing recently… Cloud couldn't really care less.

Cloud downed his coffee and stood up quickly heading to the coat rack by his front door to grab his coat, he swiped his house keys phone and wallet up off of the small table in the corner of his dining room on his way over, and stuck them into his front jeans pocket.

Around half an hour ago Vincent had contacted him asking him to meet him at Lucrecia's cave. He'd said it was important but nothing else. Cloud was slightly annoyed and confused but had agreed to meet him there; Vincent rarely called unless it was something important.

He knew Vincent needed his space, he was the same in that respect and so Cloud didn't try to get in contact with him very often. They hadn't spoken for just over a year now though and Cloud missed him. It was a large part of why he was so eager to get going.

Cloud put on his black gloves and shrugged on his warm leather jacket that would help protect him against the cold winter weather. Most of the year Kalm was quite a warm town but during the winter, weather from the harsher northern continent was brought over and since Kalm was only a couple of miles from the sea, and not nearly as populated as Midgar, the residents including Cloud suffered from the cold during the winter months.

He grabbed his sword - First Tsurugi and attached it to the magnetic clip at the back of his jacket. Then making sure he had the keys to his house and motorbike, his phone and wallet filled with gill (just in case) he headed out of his front door locking it behind him.

Cloud was greeted with fresh snow covering the ground as far as he could see and he smiled at the pure white colour of it all. Back in Nibelhiem, as far as he could remember, there'd been more ice than snow, and then when he'd got to Midgar any snow that actually settled on the ground without melting turned to muddy slush soon enough. It was wonderful to see pure, untainted snow. It was one of the few things that still brought a real smile to Cloud's face.

He headed to his garage and typed in the code which allowed him access. The large metal door slowly rose to the ceiling and he walked through. In a small town like Kalm there wasn't much need for security like he had installed in his garage, but he liked to be safe and Fenrir, his bike, meant a lot to him. It was one of the few possessions he owned that he'd actually be sad about losing.

He'd stolen it from Shinra a long time ago whilst escaping the Shinra building. He'd grabbed the bike and he'd driven straight through the glass window at the front of the building and off down the winding road that led away from the Shinra building. His friends Barrett, Tifa, Aerith and Nanaki had all been following beside in a van. He smiled at the memory; Aerith had still been alive then.

At the time it had felt so wonderful to race along with the wind flowing through his hair. He felt free, if only for a moment. Then Shinra security had caught up. Their journey had still been in the early stages then.

He didn't feel guilty about taking the bike. After everything that Shinra had done to him, his friends, the people of the world… He'd decided to keep the bike.

He removed the silky black fabric that was covering the bike and then headed over to a shelf on the opposite side of the garage. He pulled down a small metal box which he lifted, thanks to his enhanced strength, as easily as he would cardboard.

Inside the box was a wide range of materia, most of which were mastered. He had owned a larger collection but after the world crisis was over, he'd given most of his materia to Yuffie who'd spread it around Wutai.

He rarely used materia anymore as his sword on its own was powerful enough to take down any basic monsters he might encounter travelling. He would be taking some with him now though; Vincent's message had been as wrapped in mystery as anything the tall gunner ever said. He wasn't even sure that Vincent himself knew what was going on, and while he doubted it would be anything he couldn't handle (Vincent would have told him if it was) it was better to be safe than sorry.

Cloud picked up a large leather bag that had been placed on the shelf next to the box; this like the materia had gone without use for some time and had gathered dust. He wiped it over quickly and then grabbed a few materia; Dark Blizzaga, Dark Fireaga, Dark Thundaga, Curaga, Graviga and Libra, as well as a few HP + and Vit , dropping the coloured balls into the bag and fastening it afterwards.

The back of Cloud's bike had a small storage area that was perfect for storing items such as materia. It was hidden too so it looked like it was just part of the bike. Cloud had found it by accident once when he'd tripped over Fenrir and opened up the lid of the container.

He placed the bag inside the storage container and started the engine. It made a quite whirring sound – another advantage of the bike, it wasn't difficult to sneak up on anyone that didn't have enhanced hearing using it.

It had been a month since he'd last ridden his bike. It was probably the longest stretch of time he'd ever gone without riding it since he'd acquired it. He'd run out of fuel though and despite the progress Barrett and other's working with him had had with finding alternative sources of energy, petrol was still fairly hard to come by. He'd had to have some shipped over from near Wutai and it had taken a while.

He climbed onto the bike and found himself stroking his fingers over the dash board and various buttons. It had been _far _too long. He was going to enjoy the long ride over to the cave.

_It will probably be the only thing you enjoy about the trip… _A voice nagged at the back of his mind. He sighed, he couldn't think like that. He needed to get to Vincent first, and then he'd see if what was going on was really good or bad.

Cloud reversed out of his garage. He got off his bike for a second to lock its door and then continued driving till he was out of Kalm and into the grassland that led to Midgar. The plant life stretched the whole way to Midgar now instead of just surrounding a small area around Kalm. Over the years the planet had slowly recovered and nature had taken over what had once been dead earth.

Cloud would have to head through Midgar as there was no port near Kalm. Up until recently Junon had the only port in the whole Eastern continent but the people of Midgar had set up a port near Midgar as it was such a huge city, even now, and it was close to the sea. The port was mostly for business but there were some tourist ships too.

There was one slight problem with the journey to Midgar. Over the years, as the plants and trees had continued to grow and take over the barren landscape, the monsters found a new habitat to live in.

The route was inundated with giant birds, hedgehogs and strange flying bat like creatures with large heads. The latter species was originally created by excess Mako from reactors. Even though all of the Mako reactors had been destroyed in recent years, they continued to exist as the warped genetics were passed on through the generations.

It didn't take long for Cloud to get into the thick of the woods and he was promptly approached by a large family of frogs.

"Damn…" He muttered

While frogs were weak they're ability to turn others into frogs for a short period of time was annoying and incredibly inconvenient. Cloud knew he might be able to make a getaway on Fenrir, but it wasn't worth risking it. If he transformed into a frog while he was still on the bike he was liable to crash it.

Frogs were scared off by the colour white; it was why they didn't come out in the snow. Unfortunately the snow had mostly melted in this area, probably from the warmth of the approaching city. Cloud had forgotten to bring his white cape with him. Something he wore to frighten the frogs away. He hadn't encountered a frog in the longest time so it had slipped his mind. Now there was a whole group of them.

He slipped off of the bike and grabbed his sword. Luckily the frogs seemed to have decided to nestle together instead of spreading out like most other animals do.

He charged towards them and hit into the centre of the huddle of frogs. He hit hard enough to stun the animals he then reattached his sword to his back, jumped back on his bike and raced off into the distance.

Despite all the trouble they'd caused him in the past, Cloud still had a soft spot for the small green creatures and the group he'd encountered looked like they might have been a family. There were smaller ones which might have been children…

A lot of men would have called Cloud soft for letting them live but they hadn't put his life in any real danger and Cloud didn't enjoy killing. He did it only if he had no other choice.

Strangely the rest of his journey into Midgar was rather uneventful with no more monster sightings. He supposed that most of the monsters were probably hibernating or had migrated to warmer areas. Even though there was no snow right near Midgar, it was still quite cold.

Midgar was not the way it had been years before, in fact the city was almost unrecognizable. Gone were the slums, the upper plate and the Mako reactors. Now the city was all on one level and greatly reduced in size. Cloud looked around and noticed a few things had changed in the months since he'd last been there. The city looked so much better than it had done before, when Shinra had ruled. Reeve and the other people working to rebuild the city had brought life back to Midgar.

He headed on through the city till he reached Edge - a smaller section of the city partially separated from the rest after the explosion of the Shinra building. It was where most of the residents of Midgar resided now. It was the first area to be rebuilt after the Crisis and in many ways was considered a city all on its own.

Just past Edge was the port which would take him to Costa Del Sol and the main western continent. However he needed to go to the local item shop before he headed there. There were a few things he'd forgotten to bring with him that he might need later.

He thought of Tifa, Marlene and Denzel. They lived near the shop, it would be so easy to just go and visit them on his way to the port. He hadn't seen them for a while… A slight longing feeling grew inside him brought on by spending so much time alone. He didn't have time to visit them though. Vincent had sounded slightly hurried on the phone, which was unusual for him.

_I'll call them as soon as I get back from my trip _Cloud promised himself firmly.

The item store looked just like it always had. With the same old man standing behind the till, looking slightly older compared to how he'd looked during Cloud's last visit but more or less the same.

The shop had been moved from the market at sector five not too long after Meteor had fallen on Midgar. The owner had been determined to continue his business as soon as possible. It was an exact replica of how it had looked before; the owner hadn't changed a thing. Even though it had been in Edge alone for six years now and he was sure the owner had enough money to redecorate.

The old man smiled at him as he approached the till. "What can I get you?" He asked politely.

"Well…" Cloud began, "I need 30 remedies, 30 Phoenix downs, 50 ethers, a pearl necklace, a Thunder Armlet, a Blaze armlet, a Frost Armlet…" As Cloud mentally ticked off all the items he needed the man began to grab the items Cloud said and put them into a large paper bag. "…and, uh, you don't happen to have any white clothing that's really noticeable do you?"

The shop keeper cocked his head to the side, a thoughtful expression came over his face for a moment and then he physically jumped in the air. "I know!" He called as he rushed into the backroom of the shop.

Cloud waited patiently and moments later he returned carrying a large pointed white hat in his hands. It looked like something a child would wear while dressing up as a wizard. Still, it wasn't like Cloud had much choice and he really didn't want to run into anymore frogs.

"It's yours for five gill." The man offered.

"Sure I'll take it." Cloud shrugged. The man typed some numbers into his till.

"All together, let's see… That will be 7000 gill please." The man said looking up from the till in front of him with a large smile.

Cloud smiled back as he fished his wallet out from his pocket. He was aware that this was probably the largest amount of money the man had received from a buyer in one go in a long time, maybe ever. It wasn't a big deal to him though.

Over the years he'd encountered a lot of rich people that wanted jobs doing for them and he'd come to earn a lot of money. He had even more from his travels years back and more still from all the objects he'd sold, although he'd given most of the money to Reeve and the WRO. He would've given more if Reeve hadn't protested so passionately.

"Here you go," Cloud said handing the man fourteen 500g coins.

"Thank you for your purchase." The man said bowing his head slightly.

Cloud nodded and gave the man another smile; he then picked up the paper bag full of his items and left the shop.

Social interactions were easier for him now than they had been, Tifa had helped him out a lot with that and the children. Working with deliveries had helped boost his confidence too, it had been hard getting back on his feet but he'd learnt not to dwell too deeply on the past. It was why he'd ignored all of the requests from writers. Although Tifa had often told him that letting go was not the same as repressing and ignoring his bad memories…

Before he climbed back onto his bike Cloud put on the pearl necklace, the various armlets and grudgingly, the white pointy wizards hat.

Just as Cloud was about to reach the gates leading out of Edge, and head off for the short journey to the port, he noticed a boy standing in front of him with his arms crossed. He slowed down the bike making sure he didn't run him over as it didn't seem as though he was going to move. The closer he got though the more the boy resembled…

"Denzel?" Cloud asked. The young teenager frowned. "Hey, I didn't expect to see you while I was here."

Denzel continued to frown "How come you didn't come around to visit us?" He asked pouting.

"I'm sorry Denzel… I'm kind of busy now and I've got somewhere I need to go but I promise that when I get back I'll come visit you, Tifa and Marlene, ok?"

Denzel sighed nodding "You're always busy these days Cloud. So I guess you're going to that cave place to see Vincent right?"

"Yea- wait, how do you know about that?"

Denzel smirked "I have my ways…" Denzel replied in a mysterious tone. "Plus Cid came to visit earlier and he was talking to Tifa about it. They told me to leave but I heard them through the door." Denzel added proudly.

"You know you're not supposed to eaves drop on people Denzel. It's rude." Cloud said in a mock serious tone.

Denzel shrugged "Reno's been teaching me how to become an effective secret agent."

"Hmm… Has he? I'll have to have words with him." Cloud thought aloud.

"You don't like Reno, do you Cloud?" Denzel asked laughing.

"Well I wouldn't say I _dislike _him but he gets on my nerves a lot. He gets on most people's nerves actually, and he's still a Turk..."

"He and Tifa are dating now, Reno's moved in." Denzel said smiling.

"What?!" Cloud nearly screamed doing nothing to hide his shock.

"So next time you come to visit he'll probably be there." Denzel added unhelpfully.

Cloud shook his head. "I can't believe it." He muttered.

Cloud climbed back onto his bike and was about to drive off when Denzel put a hand over one of the handle bars preventing him from doing so.

"When you visited us last time you left your goggles behind." Denzel said rummaging around in his pockets.

Cloud watched as Denzel pulled a wide variety of items out of his pockets in his search, including several tissues and placed them all onto his dash board. Finally he seemed to locate the goggles.

"Ah here they are!" Denzel shouted triumphantly.

Cloud took the goggles off of Denzel and put them on "Thanks Denzel… I'll see you when I get back, ok?" He asked.

"I'll be waiting." Denzel said smiling, as he shoved all of the items he'd taken out back into his pockets.

"You know Denzel, you probably want to throw away some of that stuff in your pockets. Like all those tissues."

Denzel just stuck his tongue out and ran off back towards Seventh Heaven. "See you later Cloud." He called behind him.

Cloud laughed shaking his head; it really had been too long since he'd visited them. He decided he'd come straight over after he'd dealt with whatever Vincent had called him for. He liked time on his own, it helped him to think, but there was only so much thinking he could do before it started to way him down. Denzel and Marlene kept him busy and it was amazing what their young minds could come up with. He needed to be distracted, there were just too many bad memories to linger on when his mind was idle.

A voice in the back of Cloud's head told him he shouldn't need to keep busy to get rid of the bad memories; he should come to terms with them and move on. Cloud chose to ignore the voice, like always. The voice clearly didn't have to live with, among other things, the nightmares he'd been having recently. Cloud shuddered as he envisioned one of them, he wished he could at least forget them when he was awake like he usually did after a dream, but these just stuck in his head adding onto the pile of bad memories.

Last night had been one of the worse nightmares yet. There were screams, and bright green, flashes of silver and the outline of a figure with glasses – Hojo, he supposed. Those images had been the same as every night vision he'd experienced over the past seven months. However last night had been more than that.

_There were flowers surrounding him in thousands of different colours and shades, in all directions as far as he could see. It didn't seem like he was outside though. In fact it seemed almost claustrophobic like he was in a small room and the flowers were suffocating him with there constant presence. _

_He'd started walking. In his dream he'd remembered wondering why because he didn't want to walk further, he wanted to go back, but he couldn't control his feet. They continued moving further into the field of flowers and they got larger and larger and taller and taller and the feeling of being overwhelmed just got worse with every step he took. _

_Then came the voices one was female, the voice seemed to be trying to sooth him but he couldn't understand what she was saying. Her voice was quickly drowned out by the voices of others, hundreds of voices, all screaming at him till he collapsed on his knees. The flowers had disappeared but he barely recognized the fact. The voices were overwhelming…_

_When he'd thought it was getting too much and he might die from the feelings he was experiencing the voices abruptly stopped. There was a single silver flower in front of him. _

_He reached out to touch it, he wanted to touch it so badly but he didn't understand why, what was so special about the silver flower? However when he finally did touch it, it pricked him, he hadn't noticed the thorns on it's stem and those popping up out of his petals before but now they were clearly visible. He looked at his finger and noticed the deep red of his blood welling up and trickling downwards towards his wrist. _

_He opened his mouth and started screaming, and couldn't stop, even though the sound was so awful. The silver flower disappeared and in its place stood a tall black clothed figure, a man he'd known only in battle._

"_Sephiroth…" he'd whispered._

_Sephiroth had just smirked his trademark expression, Aqua eyes staring coldly at him. Then he'd taken a large ball of fire and the world was on fire, and he hadn't done anything, he hadn't stopped him and he didn't know why. Grief over whelmed him._

He'd woken up after that at about five am, drenched in sweat and shaking. He didn't know if there was any symbolic importance to the dream, Aerith had always believed in that sort of thing but Cloud had never had much fate in faith or any thing like that. Never the optimist - that was always Zack's role.

Then again Aerith had always claimed to have a profound connection to the planet and she was a Cetra… Maybe Aerith was right, he hoped not because that nightmare couldn't have been much worse.

Cloud continued to ponder this as he drove to the port, gradually getting more caught up in what it could mean. As he pulled up at the ticket desk, he forced himself to focus on the journey ahead instead of thinking about his nightmare_, I mean_; he thought to himself, _thinking about it isn't going to do any good, is it?_

The woman behind the ticket desk looked at him for a moment with something close to shock and then smiled going back into what Zack had once called 'work mode.' He didn't want to think about why she was staring at him with a close-to-shocked expression before, but chose to ignore it.

"Do you have a ticket sir?" The woman asked politely.

"Um, no I was hoping I could buy one here? I need to get a ship to take me to Costa Del Sol." Cloud replied. The woman began typing something into the computer next to her.

"We have a tourist ship that can take you there in two days time sir; it's a cruise ship, the height of luxury at an affordable price." The woman said while gazing at the computer screen.

"Uh, I was actually wondering if there was anything available that's leaving now."

"I'm sorry sir but all tickets must be booked well in advance to avoid disappointment. The only ship available today is leaving in half an hour and no more passengers can board."

"So there is room on the ship?" Cloud asked.

"Yes sir but I'm afraid that no more passengers can board now." She repeated.

Cloud let out a long sigh. _Damn_ he thought. He hadn't counted on this happening. He should have called them in advance to make sure there was a ship available but he'd left in a rush and it had slipped his mind.

"Look, I really need to get to Costa del Sol, as soon as possible, it's important. Isn't there any way I can get there?"

"I'm sorry sir-" The woman began again "-Yeah, yeah I get it. No more passengers can board the ship now."

Cloud stormed off leaving the woman, now with a red face and slightly embarrassed, behind the desk. He climbed back onto Fenrir and tore off around the other side of the desk and down to the area where the ships docked. He'd been a stowaway before and if he had too, and it looked like he did, he'd do it again.

As he reached the edge of the port, he climbed off his bike, leaving it parked by the large area reserved for planes and air ships, to look around the area. To see if he could find any ships that might be heading where he needed to go, even if it was just a cargo ship it would be better than nothing. The only problem would be getting his bike on board; he wasn't sure if that would be possible but he couldn't just leave it at the port…

He walked along the port and as he reached the far left, he saw Cid standing against a small barrier. He approached him curiously.

"Humph. Took ya long enough to get here Kid." Cid mumbled stumping out his cigarette on the wall he was leaning on.

"Excuse me, excuse me sir! You're not allowed to smoke here!" A young woman called running over.

Cid turned around and fixed her a glare.

"Does it look like I'm smoking here anymore?" Cid growled out.

"N-o, sorry sir. It's just protocol."

"Humph." Cid grumbled to the woman, he then turned to Cloud "come on kid you've got a flight to catch."

"How did you know you'd find me here?" Cloud asked, following Cid over to the runway.

"Vincent called me earlier saying he wanted to know if I could meet him at the cave, he said he'd called you so I thought I'd give you a lift there. Be easier than making your own way there. I figured you'd have to get a ship from here, no other way for you to get across that ocean 'less ya swim across. I waited hopin' ya'd turn up and I hadn't missed ya. I was waitin' about an hour. Ya really need to check ya phone."

Cloud took his phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen "Says there's no signal." Cloud said confused.

"Hmm that's odd, busy city like Midgar should have a clear signal. Even my old PHS works great here." Cid said.

"I don't know, maybe I need a new phone."

When they got towards the run way Cloud grabbed his bike and rode it the rest of the way onto The Shera. He left it on the lower deck of the airship which was meant for small vehicles and storage, and walked up the stairs which led up to the main part of the ship. He couldn't see Cid so he headed along the corridor and out onto the bridge, assuming he'd be there.

Cid was standing by the wheel of the airship a couple of men were standing by machines on the left and right of the bridge, waiting for Cid to give the command for them to start working again.

"Thanks for the lift Cid, I appreciate this,"

He did appreciate the lift. While it would have been fun to travel there using Fenrir a part of his mind told him it would be unwise to use up the items he'd bought and weaken himself so he couldn't use magic later, he still didn't know why Vincent had called him and if there was danger he'd be better off saving his items and mp for then. There would be other times for him to ride his bike.

"Cid, you don't happen to know why Vincent's called us to meet him do you?" Cloud asked the pilot curiously.

"Not a clue, Valentines as godamn elusive as ever. All I know is that it's just the two o' us headin' up there. Accordin' to Tifa Yuffie kicked up a right fuss about that, always eager for action even when we don't know what's goin' on." Cid laughed. "Valentine knows what he'd doin' though. He would have asked everyone to come up if it was needed."

Cloud nodded in response and gazed out of the window at the sea.

"I don' know how Yuffie found out about it though. Tifa was supposedly the only other one that knows. Thought I'd pop in an' visit her while I was in the area. She told me to be careful, and…" Cid paused for a moment. "She said that Vincent had told her to make sure you went to see her after your trip." Cid said pointedly. Cloud felt slightly embarrassed.

"I've been meaning to visit but… I don't know…" Cloud mumbled.

"Well, it's goin' to be a couple o' hours till we reach our destination. Why don't you go and take a nap? I'll wake you up when we get there. You look terrible Cloud." Cloud smiled, Cid was always completely honest.

"Yeah I think I'll go do that." Cloud smiled yawning. He didn't know why but he did feel tired, he hadn't slept much last night but the coffee should have stopped him from getting like this for a little longer.

He walked into one of the many bedrooms Cid had on the ship, he'd only been on Cid's latest air ship once before. He'd forgotten how large it was; he decided to go into the room nearest to the bridge so Cid could find him easily and so he wouldn't get lost if he woke up before Cid came to get him.

The bed was incredibly soft, softer than his bed in Kalm. He thought he'd probably just lie for a while and relax. _That will help me gain enough energy I'm sure… _Cloud thought to himself. The truth was after last night he wasn't too eager about falling back to sleep again.

However as the ship lifted off and Cloud felt the gentle vibration of it, his eyelids grew heavier and then… he fell asleep.

_Cloud was surrounded by flowers again, but this time the oppressive feeling of before had gone. He travelled forward until the flowers disappeared and once again the silver flower was there. This time Cloud didn't touch it, weary._

_Sephiroth appeared. Beckoning Cloud over to him, Cloud jumped backwards though in shock. Sephiroth frowned at him for a moment and looked… Hurt?_

_Cloud watched as he unsheathed Masamune and then, surprisingly, chucked it away from himself. It vanished into the air as he did this._

_Then he slowly walked towards Cloud and Cloud took several steps backwards for every one step Sephiroth took in his direction. He continued until he felt his back hit a cold wall behind him._

_Sephiroth's face was right in front of him now and Cloud could see every detail of it; his long sloping nose, high cheek bones and surprisingly full lips. He'd always thought it strange that a man such as Sephiroth would have such typical feminine features as long hair and those lips…_

_He looked up just a centre metre and those bright green eyes were gazing back at him but the emotion in them, it wasn't one he'd ever seen on the other man but it looked like he was looking at him fondly. _

_He stroked a couple of fingers down Cloud's cheek, and Cloud literally jumped. _

"_W-wh-what?" Cloud stuttered._

_Then Sephiroth, no… This man that was surely not the cold emotionless man he'd been before surprised him further by embracing him in a hug._

_He could feel his warm breath caress his ear. "…I'm…"_

_But whatever he was about to say was cut off and Sephiroth disappeared Replaced by Cid's face. A giant Cid face in fact, on a small stick figure body. It would have been comical if Cloud wasn't so wracked with nerves._

"_Wake up Cloud." The giant Cid face screamed._

"_Cloud, Wake up!"_

The Cid face vanished and Cloud jolted awake to feel the _real_ Cid shaking him.

"We're here Cloud. Ya sure sleep heavy. It's like ya haven't slept for weeks." Cid muttered.

"Uh…" Cloud mumbled. "I haven't slept much recently. There's these nightmares I've been having."

Cid got up and left the room and Cloud got up out of bed and followed him. He'd taken his coat and shoes off but other than that he'd left all of his clothes on. He was regretting it now as he looked at the full length mirror on his way out. His clothes were incredibly crumpled.

The two of them headed down to the bottom of the airship where Cloud's bike was located.

"There int much room to land a plane on these mountains, I've left control o' the ship to one of my back up pilots. We're going to have to climb down a rope to get to the cave." Cid explained. "Ya'll have to be careful mind. There's water all around 'ere an' only a little bit o' land that we can climb to."

Cloud nodded and waited as Cid opened the large door that allowed people on an off of the airship. Cid unravelled some rope from a large coil of it by the door. Cloud wondered if Cid used this method to leave the plane often.

"Right," Cid decided. "You go first, that way I can keep an eye on you."

Cloud approached the rope wearily, it wasn't the first time he'd travelled from a great height using a rope, but the idea still made him nervous. Especially seeing as there was so much deep, cold water below that he could land in.

He gripped the rope with his hands and headed down backwards first. When he was completely out of the air ship he wrapped his legs around the rope too and began to shimmy down.

He was about half way down when a large gust of wind caused the rope to sway dangerously.

"Shit." Cid muttered. "You ok down there Cloud?" Cid yelled.

"I'm fine." Cloud called back and began to move more quickly down the rope.

He let out a loud sigh of relief when his feet touched the ground at the front of the cave. He quickly dashed inside getting soaked in the process. He'd hoped there might have been another entrance to the cave that didn't involve walking through a waterfall but Cloud hadn't seen any other way.

As Cloud entered the cave he was encountered by two people the first was Vincent and the second was cloaked in white. He had a strong feeling about who it was though.

Cloud heard Cid appear behind him. He felt sure it had taken him longer to get down the

rope; then again Cid was probably an expert at using it. He used his ship often enough.

"Who's the guy in white?" Cid asked suspiciously.

Vincent turned around and headed over to them, the white cloaked man following behind him.

"Cid, Cloud." Vincent greeted them both.

"Rufus Shinra?" Cloud asked the man who was now standing next to Vincent.

Rufus removed the hood of his white cloak long enough to prove Cloud's hunch correct but put it straight back on afterwards.

"Hmm… Still using disguises I see." Cloud smiled.

"I have many enemies now Cloud, and no empire to help defend me against them. It is in my best interest not to appear in public without a disguise." Rufus answered coolly.

Beside him Cid scoffed. "I'll bet."

"Rufus came to me two days ago. Apparently Tseng and Elena had visited Lucrecia's cave after receiving a message from some hikers who reported odd sounds coming from behind the waterfall. They also mentioned sighting some strange smelling green mist. When Tseng and Elena arrived they noticed that Lucrecia's body was no longer in the cave. I came to investigate myself with Rufus, Tseng and Elena." Vincent explained.

"Of course, where there's Rufus Shinra there's bound to be his loyal Turks." Cloud muttered.

"Her body is no where to be found, and what's more many of the Mako crystals have been smashed. It's like someone's deliberately found her body and stolen it." Vincent continued.

He was clenching his one fist and Cloud noticed how hard Vincent was trying to suppress his emotions. When he spoke again his voice was deeper holding more sadness.

"But only a select few people know where this cave is located. Other than myself, Rufus and the Turks, you two are the only other people who know this cave's location." Vincent sighed. "I know neither of you are behind this, but I need both your help to find her… b-body." Vincent's voice cracked at the end, and Cloud, who had never seen the gunner break down before was almost scared to see him coming so close to doing so.

"Of course we'll help any way we can Vincent." Cloud answered softly.

"Yeah," Cid said scratching the back of his head, something Cloud knew he did when he felt uncomfortable.

"There's more…" Vincent whispered hoarsely.

Vincent turned and walked deeper into the cave. Rufus followed and Cloud and Cid took this as there cue to follow him too.

What Cloud saw when he entered the heart of the cave shocked him. There were shards of blue, green Mako crystals smashed all over the ground the cave looked so different from the peaceful resting place that Cloud had visited with Cid and Vincent in there search for Sephiroth all those years ago. This wasn't what shocked him though.

What shocked him was in the centre of the cave, in front of the large broken cluster of Mako crystals where Lucrecia had once rested. Buried in the ground was a weapon Cloud would recognize anywhere, a weapon he'd been on the receiving end of many times.

Masamune…

--

AN: I noticed quite a few people have sections in their chapters separated by or something like that. Does it make it easier to read like that? I was just wondering if anyone thought I should separate different parts of this or if it's ok like this.


	2. Chapter Two

AN: Thanks so much to Botticella, Rethira and d0rkgoddess for reviewing. I really appreciate it! Anyway here is the next chapter. I'm not exactly happy with it, so I might edit it later. Let me know if it's really bad.

--

It took Cloud a good thirty seconds to recover enough to speak (although to him it had felt like time had stopped completely) and even then his heart was beating furiously and the first words out of his mouth were spoken shakily.

"W-what? It can't be…"

He was on the verge of panic because there could only be one explanation for Sephiroth's sword being in Lucrecia's cave, planted so neatly in the ground, and that was…

_It was impossible wasn't it? _Cloud thought to himself. _Sephiroth couldn't be back…_

Vincent remained silent; his back to Cloud and Cid, Rufus shifted a little but didn't answer. So naturally, Cid responded, almost explosively.

"O' course Sephiroth aint back! He can't be! You know as well as anyone Cloud that Jenova's been destroyed now. Besides there's no remnants like last time is there? It's been long enough they would o' done soming by now!" Cid paused for a brief almost-second to draw breath, and then concluded his rant. "I bet that aint even his sword. Whatever's goin' on here it aint no resurrection. Sephiroth's long gone!"

Vincent shook his head and moved over to another corner of the room. It was then that Cloud noticed Tseng as he stood up and dusted his black uniform trousers off. He had been kneeling at the other side of the cave, probably searching for something among the wreckage of Mako crystal.

"I don't know how but Sephiroth _has _returned. That sword is his; I know this from the engraving of the word 'Masamune' which is exactly as shown in the old photographs of Sephiroths weapon. If that is not enough proof then you should know that I cannot move it. Only Sephiroth can wield that blade." Tseng explained to Cid.

"Oh hell, o' course no pansy like _you_ could get it out the ground. Let me try it!" Cid grumbled exasperatedly.

Tseng's eyes shone with something dark and dangerous. "I assure you, I am no '_pansy_.' With the mako that runs through my veins I am certainly stronger then you." Tseng replied smoothly.

Cid wasn't listening though; he was already bounding across the cave towards the sword.

Cloud and the others watched – Tseng with a knowing expression as Cid gripped the handle of Masamune and then quickly withdrew his hand with a loud cry of pain.

"Damn sword electrocuted me." Tseng smirked in response.

"It's cursed." Vincent said quietly, speaking for the first time since Cloud and Cid had seen the sword.

"Now that I'm sure everyone here is in agreement that the sword is in fact Masamune, perhaps we can get down to business." Rufus spoke dryly, sounding less than amused. "Tseng please continue to assist Eleanor."

Tseng nodded and returned to sorting amongst the broken crystals. Cloud wasn't sure how helpful what the two Turks were doing was, and suspected that it was just a ploy to keep them busy and dull down what Cloud knew to be the truth of their being here.

The truth, as Cloud saw it (and it wasn't far from the reality) was that they were here to protect Rufus should anything go wrong. They wouldn't hesitate to kill Cloud, or threaten to do so, if he so much as scratched their precious ex-president. They weren't really here to sort through the mess of Mako on the ground.

The whole pretence that they were doing something other than their jobs pissed Cloud off, but then, a lot of things did about the Turks. Especially Tseng…

"What I propose we do." Rufus began, shaking Cloud out of his angry thoughts.

"I'm here to help Vincent. I want no part in _your_ schemes Shinra." Cloud interrupted in an icy tone.

Cid nodded in agreement "We aint 'ere to help you out, you don't disserve it."

Rufus smiled, a barely noticeable twitch of his lips "If Sephiroth has returned I believe that we must get to him as soon as possible and stop any diabolical plans he may have in that twisted head of his, before they come to completion." When it looked like Cloud was going to interrupt again Rufus held up his hand to tell him to wait and continued "I would assume that you have the same goal in mind Cloud. So we need to work together. I have help to offer and I know you don't intend to face Sephiroth alone again Cloud, do you?"

"I've done it before, more than once. I'm sure I can do it again." But even as Cloud said those words he doubted their truth. Could he really go through all of that heartache a fourth time? He couldn't bare it if someone else died because he chose to face off Sephiroth alone and not get help when he'd probably need it.

"But can you find him Cloud? Surely you don't expect to travel the whole world looking for him by yourself? You need Intel and transport and I, and my Turks, can provide you with both."

Cloud was grinding his teeth together. Loath though he was to admit it he knew Rufus was right. He couldn't find Sephiroth by himself he could be anywhere. He couldn't just run off aimlessly and travel everywhere searching for him like last time.

The Turks were good at getting information and Cloud knew there help _would_ be useful. Besides six years ago when Sephiroth was sneaking around the planet and Cloud and his friends were searching for him the Turks had almost always been one step ahead of them.

_They'd beaten them to the temple of the ancients hadn't they? _Cloud thought.

"Fine." Cloud hissed. "On this we'll work together, but after we find him…"

"After we find him you can go on disliking me and my Turks and I will back off unless my further assistance is required." Rufus finished for him. "I only want to help get rid of him Cloud, for good this time."

Cloud nodded and sighed. "I just hope this time we succeed."

If they didn't, Cloud _knew_ he couldn't do it again. There was just no way he would be able to summon the mental strength to destroy him a fifth time. To relive all his bad memories a fifth time…

"So, what I propose we do." He stopped as he noticed Cloud's expression "Yes, we are a team Cloud, anything I have to say can be commented on and changed. I think, first of all, you need to go back home Cloud."

"No." Cloud said firmly "Are you crazy? We've got to find Sephiroth, as soon as possible, or who knows what he'll do."

"I am well aware of how important finding Sephiroth is Cloud but we are going to need your help, and in your present state that's not possible. I mean this in the most polite way Cloud - you look dreadful. You need to relax. Spend a week, at least, away from this whole disaster and then return to help us when you're rejuvenated. Your help will be much more useful to us when you're rested."

Cloud looked doubtful until Vincent spoke up. "He's right Cloud, you need to rest. We need you more than anyone."

"Ok…" Cloud muttered. "But just a week, I don't know how I'm going to relax after this though." He added.

Tseng and Elena had stopped searching among the broken crystals and were now standing next to Rufus, on either side of him.

"I'll get the Turks to start searching. There's nothing any of us can do until we have an idea of his whereabouts anyway. Reno can search from the sky, Tseng and Elena you can start searching the area around the mountain." The two Turks nodded in confirmation. "Rude can question people, starting in Edge. Cid-"

"I'll search from the sky too. I'm sure my air ship is faster than ya helicopters."

"Actually Cid, it would be better if you took me and Vincent to the Northern Crater. I know it's unlikely that he'll return there but it's worth looking."

"Sir are you sure? Remember what happened last time. Wouldn't it be better if I or one of the others accompanied you?" Tseng asked concernedly.

"Thank you for your concern Tseng but I won't be alone; I'll have Vincent with me and I believe I can trust his ability." Rufus turned to Cid "When we have finished looking there you can assist Reno with searching from the air."

"Alright." Cid called punching his fist in the air.

Cloud, despite his anxiousness, couldn't help bursting out in laughter at the pilot. "Cid, have you been hanging around with Yuffie?"

"Shut it Kid." Cid muttered punching Cloud in the shoulder playfully.

"Ok, so is everyone in agreement on the plan? I'll call Reno and Rude." Rufus said, already taking his phone out of his pocket.

"Wait a second; I think I've found something." Tseng called.

Cloud noticed that Tseng was gripping a large rock in his hand. He stood up and walked over to Cloud.

"What do you make of this Cloud?" Tseng asked handing Cloud the large rock. "Aerith was an ancient and you knew her better than any one in this room."

Cloud observed the rock; it was rock and not Mako crystal like most of the cave. Meaning it must have been taken from the ground. He turned it over and noticed that someone had carved a message into it.

"I am here by the Cetra's will…" Cloud read allowed.

"The Cetra… That's what Aerith was right? She said the Ancients were called the Cetra before they were wiped out." Cid puzzled "Ya think Sephiroth left that message?"

"I guess so…" Cloud replied frowning.

_Why would the Cetra allow Sephiroth to return to the planet? They had a strong bond with Gaia, Weren't they the protectors of the planet?_ Cloud thought.

"I'll keep this. I'll see if I can work out what it means." Cloud mumbled.

Rufus nodded and continued trying to call Reno and Rude.

--

After Cloud destroyed Sephiroth the second time, during the Meteor Crisis, the Cetra came to realise that Sephiroth couldn't be condensed into the Lifestream like other souls. Even those souls infected with Geostigma were able to return to the Lifestream eventually. It took a while but their souls and bodies were eventually cleansed of the impurities Jenova had spread through them.

However after Sephiroth was killed in Nibelhiem, he used the power Jenova shared with him to create another body. A body that was pure Jenova, to place his soul and will inside.

Jenova, as an alien, was never meant to become part of the Lifestream and so Sephiroth, who had become purely Jenova (physically at least) could also never become a part of it either.

When Gaia realised that Sephiroth could not become a part of the Lifestream she attempted to destroy Sephiroth, but his will was too strong and remnants of his soul and mind were created. Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz, each representing different parts of the whole.

After the minor disaster that followed Gaia realised that attempting again would probably be both futile and catastrophic.

Sephiroth was put in a state of limbo for the next four years. It wasn't a brilliant idea, because while Sephiroth remained halfway between the Lifestream and the living people of Gaia, he could, theoretically, return and attempt to destroy the world again.

Luckily because almost all of the remaining Jenova cells had been destroyed, and because Sephiroth did not have anyone living who could assist him, he could not form another body and could not return.

So Sephiroth remained in limbo, although some of the Cetra considered this a waste. Sephiroth's soul was powerful and could give Gaia so much power which could be used for good.

Aerith was one Cetra who believed this. So she devised a plan, a plan which would in time give Gaia the power of Sephiroth and allow Sephiroth to attempt to redeem himself. Most of the Cetra scoffed at her idea. Sephiroth was beyond redemption in their eyes but Aerith had faith that he would do the right thing, even if he could be a conceited bastard at times. Besides Zack supported her and that was all that mattered.

--

_Nine months before Lucrecia's body disappeared from the cave near Nibelhiem._

The darkness had officially started six years ago. Sephiroth knew this because every so often the voices would let slip the date and time, and he kept count. For a long time there had been little else to do. Now his mind was unfortunately occupied.

The first two years had gone by in absolute silence and then the voices of the Cetra had come. People he'd once thought were just like him, but now he knew he'd been wrong, they were nothing like him. He was unique. He was a monster.

Their voices had been overwhelming at first, painful almost. He guessed that it might have been because he wasn't a part of the Lifestream.

They'd told him that he was an anomaly that had to be destroyed; they'd tried to destroy him alright. He'd never known such pain. He'd never been affected by Mako before. He'd had injections as a child up until the age of seven when Hojo had told him that he didn't need them - his power exceeded the need for Mako injections. However the pain he experienced felt like everyone's descriptions of Mako injections multiplied by several million. It burnt to his core. Throughout the whole experience he found himself begging, screaming for it to end, for his destruction to finish.

It did end, but he wasn't destroyed. He could sense the Cetra's anger about that. He felt emptier and colder then before, but otherwise unchanged. Except that he knew pain now, he'd never really experienced it before.

He'd wanted to seek revenge on the planet for what the Cetra had done to him. He would continue what his mother had wanted, he was more determined then ever, even though they'd told him that his mother had been destroyed.

He returned, and realised that what they said was true. His mother had been destroyed but her cells remained in the bodies of countless humans. They called it a disease - Geostigma. His nemesis Cloud was suffering too. However when he returned he found that Cloud had been cured. He wouldn't be part of Mother's plan. This bothered him somehow but he didn't know why.

Cloud defeated him again and this hadn't bothered him as much as what he'd said had. He said he pitied him, felt sorry for him, but why? Why would he say that? What right had _he_ to pity _him_?

After his third demise he'd returned to the darkness which was where he was now. The voices came more often but were slightly less overwhelming. However along with the voices came the visions; visions of Cloud and others in the living world and visions of Zack and his old friends in the Lifestream.

He'd thought he was going insane at first but one voice told him they were real. It was a female voice, soft and not at all overwhelming like the others. She spoke alone, where as the others talked to him together like one big echo. She never said much but she had the sweetest voice, a voice that reminded him of someone else he'd known once. Although it might just have been his imagination.

Recently the visions had grown more frequent. There was Zack and the flower girl. They were in love now and lived together in a small village. She owned a flower shop which Zack supposedly built.

Angeal and Genesis lived near by. Even Genesis had become a part of the Lifestream in the end. He suspected that they were in a romantic relationship but he never saw enough of them to know for certain; his visions were mostly focused on Zack and his girlfriend, he'd forgotten her name.

Genesis taught poetry at a school and Angeal fixed things for people. H and Zack had become local heroes. It made Sephiroth want to smile because they'd always dreamed of becoming heroes. He suppressed the urge though, he felt he didn't disserve to. There were a lot of new emotions he'd started feeling, like guilt and regret.

The guilt worsened when he saw Cloud. Unlike Zack, Angeal and Genesis he didn't seem happy at all. When he was around other people he seemed more lifelike, but it was just a front. It pulled at Sephiroth's heart because he knew how it was to hide your true self away. He'd been taught to do so all his life. He often wondered if Cloud would have been different if he'd never had to deal with him. Or had he always been that way? He can't have made it easier either way.

He was disgusted by himself sometimes for feeling guilty. They all disserved it didn't they? They were all traitors weren't they? As time wore on he began to doubt his original ideas more and more.

He wished that his mother was with him, she'd know what to say to make it better. To remind him why he'd done the things he'd done, but her presence had been lacking since the Meteor crisis. He supposed it was because she was destroyed. Her cells weren't enough to communicate.

"It's because she never cared about you." Sephiroth jumped as a soft female voice broke through his angst filled thoughts.

"Who are you?" Sephiroth called. "Your not like the other voices what do you want?"

"Hmm, nope I guess I'm one of a kind." The voice called back. "But you can call me Aerith."

"Aerith… That name sounds familiar." Sephiroth mused.

"Yeah it probably would. I was the girl with the long, braided brown hair. Wore a lot of pink. You stabbed me through the back with a sword. Remember?" Aerith said jovially.

Sephiroth did remember and a stab of guilt ran through him that he tried and failed to suppress.

_Damn it_, he thought. Where had his ability to distance himself from his emotions gone?

"Don't try to stop yourself from feeling. It's a good thing; our emotions are what make us human." Aerith said softly.

"My existence is not that of a human. I am a monster." Sephiroth muttered.

"No, you're not a monster Sephiroth. For a while it seemed like you were beginning to become one. You were so cold before but now… You're starting to open up. Like a flower." Her voice was melodic, and Sephiroth felt soothed by it.

She skipped over to him. Sephiroth felt something soft land in his lap. He looked down to see what it was and noticed it was a flower. A small, delicate looking, white flower. He felt tears well up in his eyes and he wondered if what he was feeling was what other people experienced when they felt the urge to cry.

"Jenova was a monster. The Cetra have said so enough times, and I am her son." Sephiroth reasoned.

"No, you're not her son. She never told you otherwise because she wanted you to believe that she was. It suited her, I think that you were more powerful then her in some ways and she wanted you on her side. She needed someone to break her out of confinement."

"Stop it!" Sephiroth roared clutching his head.

Aerith just smiled at him, although many would have run far away. He looked more than a bit threatening at that moment. "It's the truth Sephiroth. I know it hurts but you need to know."

"Why are you telling me this?" Sephiorth cried.

"Because you have the right to know. I would have told you sooner but I had to be sure that you could still feel first. That's why I allowed you to see your old friends, and Cloud. Zack's been worried about you, you know."

"Why? After what I did…"

"Well, actually, Hojo was about 50 percent to blame for what happened, but anyway Zack's forgiven you more or less, it took him a while."

"I can't forgive myself." Sephiorth said, and he knew now that it was the truth. No matter how hard he tried to avoid it, he felt genuinely guilty.

Aerith nodded. "I know and that's why I want to help you Sephiroth. If you returned to the living world then you could redeem yourself. Find a way to help people. Then when you've lived your life and you die, you could return to the Lifestream and do so much good for the planet. Just by being in the Lifestream your energy could help Gaia."

Sephiroth looked up at her for the first time, through tear filled eyes.

"I doubt people will ever forgive me for what I've done, and it's impossible for me to return to the Lifestream. The other Cetra's told me that."

Aerith nodded again. "At the moment it is, because the body you died in was pure Jenova. However I have a plan which could change that. I can make you a temporary body which will allow you limited access to the living world. Then when you're there you can follow my instructions and put this plan into action. What do you say?"

"I have a lot to make up for, I don't know why but I feel I have to make up for all I've done. So I'll go along with your plan."

"Great!" Aerith yelled with a huge grin. "Ok so this is going to use up a lot of energy. If you die using this temporary body you'll return here, and it will take me a long while before I can make you a new one so try to be careful, ok?" Aerith cautioned him.

She placed both of her hands onto Sephiroth's head, and he was surprised at how soft and gentle they were. No one had ever touched him with such kindness before.

"Your temporary body will take about seven months to grow. You'll be in a cocoon like state until then. I'm going to put you in a cave, somewhere people won't go very often. When you wake I'll fill you in on the details of my plan, I still need to smooth a few things over." She paused, thinking for a moment "This may feel a little strange ok?"

--

Cloud was extremely puzzled. Somehow the writer, Alivia, had managed to find him even though he was staying at Tifa's house – and she'd sent him another letter! As Tifa lived and ran Seventh Heaven, the most popular bar in Edge, it wasn't surprising that she'd found out the address of the place but what confused Cloud was how she'd known he was staying with Tifa.

After Cid had told Rufus that Cloud was living alone in Kalm (Cloud had refused to tell him where he lived but Cid had apparently decided it was for the best) Rufus and the others had come to a joint decision, not involving Cloud, that it would be for the best if he stayed with someone else who could watch over him.

They all knew Barrett was to busy working to stop to relax and Yuffie with her hyper attitude would probably cause more harm then good. Nanaki was busy looking after children and watching over the canyon and Reeve was busy trying to sort the world out. Cat Sith was just a robot. So it was decided that Tifa would look after him, and with her mother hen attitude they believed she would be perfect.

Cloud had been here two days so far, and he had to admit that he'd gotten a lot more sleep. The nightmares hadn't bothered him yet either. Or any other strange dreams that weren't quite nightmares but were strange nevertheless.

_Like that one with Sephiroth _Cloud thought.

Denzel and Marlene weren't making as much noise as they usually did, and Cloud suspected this might have something to do with Tifa warning them that Cloud needed his rest. He didn't so much like that; he thought he was beginning to sound like a crazy, old man who needed his sleep or he'd go insane.

Cloud read through the ending of the letter again.

_I'm sorry if you think I'm bothering you but I really think this book would be good for you. To get things out in the open rather than bottling them up._

_- Alivia_

Cloud felt slightly angry that she should suggest such things when she didn't know him. Although he knew deep down that his anger wasn't really directed at her but at himself. For being so readable and he knew she was right, he did need to open up. Aerith had always told him that, now Tifa always echoed the words and now this writer too.

Cloud let out a long sigh. Her motives were different from the rest; it was possible that she was lying but either way she'd gotten his attention. Maybe he should see her, although it would probably be better to wait till the current Sephiroth business was over. He didn't want anything to affect his mind if he had to fight him again, which he was sure he would.

But afterwards this book might even help him. It probably couldn't do much more harm. He didn't want people to treat him like he was special though, that's what he was really worried about. He could call her; see what this book would involve.

_What's the worse that could happen? _He wondered.

"Looking at that letter again?" Tifa asked. He dropped the letter in shock; he hadn't noticed she was standing behind him.

"She left her number didn't she? I think you should call her, meet up with her. At least see what she has to say in person."

"Yeah, I think you're probably right Tifa."

The brunette feigned shock. "You're actually agreeing with me for once?"

Cloud smiled "I guess I'm trying to turn over a new leaf."

Tifa smiled and left the room. She came back moment later holding the cordless phone.

"You can call her using Seventh Heavens phone. Knowing you, you won't want her to have your mobile phone number. Now call her now, before you change your mind."

Tifa left and Cloud sat staring at the phone for a moment.

_Should he call her? _He asked himself.

In the end his fingers started dialling her number on their own and then the phone was making that familiar repetitive low sound that meant it was ringing. He knew he couldn't turn back.

A tired voice answered on the other end. "Hello?"

"Hi, this is Cloud Strife. I'm calling about the book."

* * *

A/N: Don't read this note if you haven't played Crisis Core up to Nibelhiem and are wary of possible spoilers as there is mentions of dialogue. Just to warn you.

While thinking up ideas for this story I realised something and now I'm curious. When Cloud was stabbed by Sephiroth in Nibelhiem and then he chucked him over the edge of the reactor, how the hell did he manage this? At the time (and I believe this is further backed up by stuff mentioned in Crisis Core) Cloud was not receiving mako injections because he wasn't in SOLDIER, he was just an infantry man. So how did he manage to get the strength to throw Sephiroth over the edge? Was it some kind of limit break?

In Crisis Core Sephiroth says 'Impossible' after Cloud starts to lift him up before throwing him meaning Cloud's ability to do this is not normal. Also Zack couldn't even finish him off and he's had a load of mako pumped into him! Does anyone know why this is? Is it some weird destiny thing? Or is it something else?

Sorry to bore you all with that question it's just something I've been wondering about for a while.


End file.
